Harvard Journal of Middle Eastern Politics and Policy
Institution:
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
Abstract:
Five months after Iraq’s May 2018 parliamentary elections, rival political blocs have
broken deadlock and are set to form a new government. On October 2nd, the Iraqi
parliament selected Barham Salih, a career politician from the Patriotic Union of
Kurdistan (PUK), for the Iraqi presidency. Shortly after his election, Salih named Adil
Abdul Mahdi, Iraq’s former oil minister, as prime minister. Iraqis and international
observers applauded the selection of these politicians who have eschewed sectarian
rhetoric as a victory for political compromise, but Salih and Abdul Mahdi face the
challenge of answering popular calls for government reform after a summer marked by violent protests.
Topic:
Energy Policy, Politics, Water, Elections, Employment, Protests, and State